NEW Alzheimer’s drugs that will delay the disease for five times longer than current treatment could be available within a decade, a leading scientist will claim today.

Six drugs already licensed for other conditions are to be tested to see if they could treat the changes that occur in the brain in Alzheimer’s.

Scientists hope the medicines will slow down progress of the disease, which can lead to memory loss and sufferers being unable to walk, speak and swallow.

The Alzheimer’s Society scheme has won backing from campaigner and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.

Lord Fellowes of West Stafford will today host a launch reception at the House of Lords, joined by the broadcaster Fiona Phillips, a fellow Alzheimer’s Society ambassador.

Lord Fellowes said: “This programme is more than a ray of hope for 750,000 people with dementia, their carers and families.

“At a time when the number of people with this condition is ­rising it is wonderful to see the Alzheimer’s Society striding ahead in the race to find a cure and new treatments.”

Six drugs already licensed for other conditions are to be tested

Experts estimate that half of the £17billion spent on Alzheimer’s each year in the UK could be saved if patients developed the disease five years later than they do now.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This is an exciting day in the race to find new treatments and eventually a cure. There are not enough clinical trials for dementia in the UK, which is why Alzheimer’s Society is responding by launching Drug Discovery.

“We need £4,000 every day for the next 10 years for the first phase of this ground-breaking initiative and we are asking all those concerned with dementia to help us raise this.”

Most studies suggest that the earlier patients can be given drugs and therapy to prevent memory loss, the more effective these treatments are in slowing down progress of the disease.

More than 750,000 people in the UK suffer from dementia and around 450,000 have the most common form, Alzheimer’s. Charities and doctors fear that as the population grows older, the number of cases will spiral, at a cost of millions of pounds.

The charity has examined 30 drugs used to tackle illnesses as diverse as heart disease, infection and inflammation and shortlisted six for further study.

The £15million Drug Discovery Programme will explore at least three of the drugs over the next 10 years, and hold clinical trials.

It costs about £613million and takes 20 years to deliver a new treatment from scratch. Testing existing drugs is more time and cost-effective.

Ms Phillips said: “I know from caring for both my mum and my dad the devastating impact that dementia can have on the person living with the condition and their families. Investing in treatment development has to be a priority.”